Dave, what audio player are you using in that photo, somewhat up the page in this thread? --Thanks.
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SMSL DP5 Music Streamer and DAC Review
- Thread starter amirm
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Dave, what audio player are you using in that photo, somewhat up the page in this thread? --Thanks.
That looks like Ropieee OS on the rpi that is creating the touch screen interface; it's what I use too. That's the UI for playing from any source through Ropieee with touch display so source could be Roon, Airplay (through Shairport-Sync), UPnP, etc. If you want to build one then here's a link to an article that goes pretty deep. You'll also find articles on this site too.
Thanks, Doug, that's extremely helpful. Think I saw the article, but what you say fills in a lot.
https://archimago.blogspot.com/2020/08/diy-raspberry-pi-touch-audio-streamer.html
https://archimago.blogspot.com/2020/08/diy-raspberry-pi-touch-audio-streamer.html
Doug is correct
fluxcapacitor
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Used this google app, and connect with DP5 through DLNA on your phone. That can be used the Tidal or Spotify directly. 
Directly solve the problem that DLNA of tidal cannot play tidal high bit-rate music. Recommend it to you.
https://hifi-express.com/products/smsl-dp5-mqa-full-decoding-hifi-network-music-player
And dp5 in stock on EU US warehouse now.
Directly solve the problem that DLNA of tidal cannot play tidal high bit-rate music. Recommend it to you.
https://hifi-express.com/products/smsl-dp5-mqa-full-decoding-hifi-network-music-player
And dp5 in stock on EU US warehouse now.
After reading Amir's review and seeing the headless panther I thought the results were a bit harsh. I get his rationale, the device did not work using airplay so it was a fail. But the specs were good so if you weren't going to use Airplay should you discount this device as a possible option in your system if it checks all the other boxes? I have 3 streamers all being controlled by jriver accessing my NAS drive via dlna which stores ripped FLAC and DSD files. They all work flawlessly but none have aes output which i need for a pair of active speakers that are on order. All the other streamer options on the market with this option are at least 4x more expensive so i thought it worth buying and trying. Amazon had a returned unit from SMSL store with a 10% discount so i placed my order. Upon receipt i unboxed, connected and put it to work. The first thing i noticed was the height of the unit was about 2x my other streamers. While not a deal breaker, i would have preferred a slimmer profile. The size, i believe was established to accommodate the largish status screen which really did not have to be that large. The second thing that really was bothersome was the large dial felt very cheap, it was made from thin aluminum (i think) and when you rotated it, it squeaked and wobbled. I felt it was going to fall off its spindle any moment.
I fired up jriver and it saw the dp-5 immediately and i sent some different file types to see how it handled them. Every file type i sent it worked without issue. And it sounded good to my ears (that is it for the subjective part). At that point i started questioning whether the poor build quality and large size were something i could live with. The answer became clearer with a bit more testing. Playing single files worked well. If i played a playlist or selected more than one song to play in a row, the DP-5 barfed, The best i could get it to do is play 3 partial songs before it quit and disappeared from jriver player options. It either played the first song partially and skipped to the next one or didn't play the first song at all and skipped to the next one. I tried all the settings within the DP-5 and jriver but could not get it to play more than one song in a row without issue. I was able, using the clunky device interface, to find individual songs or entire folders on my nas and play without problem. To accomplish this was not going to work since i use jriver exclusively but also for those interested, it is painfully slow and convoluted due to the internal control software being not ready for primetime. It literally took me 3 minutes to find a song and get it to play when using the front dial interface. This was a deal killer for me but thought i should try to see if there was something missing (you definitely do not get any help from the device "manual") and decided to reach out to SMSL via amazon. They were responsive but not helpful. After a week of no fixes or ideas, they eventually blamed it on my network (hard wired gigabit in which all their competition devices work without issue). Jriver actually was more helpful as they told me this exact issue occurs frequently when the dlna implementation within the device is not done to spec and/or completely. They pointed to a number of other streamers that had this issue when the products are first released but have reworked their dlna implementation and now work perfectly (with jriver). An example is lumin.
I had hopes this would be a cheap solution but, unfortunately, did not turn out to be. If i were rating this, based upon my usage need, i too would give it a headless panther.
I fired up jriver and it saw the dp-5 immediately and i sent some different file types to see how it handled them. Every file type i sent it worked without issue. And it sounded good to my ears (that is it for the subjective part). At that point i started questioning whether the poor build quality and large size were something i could live with. The answer became clearer with a bit more testing. Playing single files worked well. If i played a playlist or selected more than one song to play in a row, the DP-5 barfed, The best i could get it to do is play 3 partial songs before it quit and disappeared from jriver player options. It either played the first song partially and skipped to the next one or didn't play the first song at all and skipped to the next one. I tried all the settings within the DP-5 and jriver but could not get it to play more than one song in a row without issue. I was able, using the clunky device interface, to find individual songs or entire folders on my nas and play without problem. To accomplish this was not going to work since i use jriver exclusively but also for those interested, it is painfully slow and convoluted due to the internal control software being not ready for primetime. It literally took me 3 minutes to find a song and get it to play when using the front dial interface. This was a deal killer for me but thought i should try to see if there was something missing (you definitely do not get any help from the device "manual") and decided to reach out to SMSL via amazon. They were responsive but not helpful. After a week of no fixes or ideas, they eventually blamed it on my network (hard wired gigabit in which all their competition devices work without issue). Jriver actually was more helpful as they told me this exact issue occurs frequently when the dlna implementation within the device is not done to spec and/or completely. They pointed to a number of other streamers that had this issue when the products are first released but have reworked their dlna implementation and now work perfectly (with jriver). An example is lumin.
I had hopes this would be a cheap solution but, unfortunately, did not turn out to be. If i were rating this, based upon my usage need, i too would give it a headless panther.
Picking up on muslhead's review, has there actually been a meaningful firmware update? All issues identified sound more like a software issue than a hardware problem. A V2 firmware release (and the subsequent sale of the unit with the new firmware) shurely could safe an attractively priced unit (doi: have a SMSL SU-8) from the scrapheap.
i agree it likely could be fixed but if the same people that are in charge to fix a problem that were in charge of helping me, dont count on it. They didnt want to know about a potential problem other than ignore and blame someone else. They had no desire or put in any real effort to diagnose. If this is indicative of how they address problems and "listen" to their customers, feel free to take that risk. I have already tried and they failed. Matrix, while not perfect, addressed my questions and problems way more professionally.
AdamFrandsen
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Trying to read through this thread but cannot figure out a question about MQA:
Using mConnect / AK Connect streaming, does this fully decode MQA using balanced XLR's to active speakers, or does it do the MQA in the XMOS part of the USB input?
Using mConnect / AK Connect streaming, does this fully decode MQA using balanced XLR's to active speakers, or does it do the MQA in the XMOS part of the USB input?
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You've stumbled upon the single biggest issue with mqa. Understanding how it works (if at all) in any system /component.
The manual says only this. I take it to mean you need to feed it via USB. If this thing doesn't take Tidal Connect and your main source of music is tidal and you want full mqa decoding, you're better off buying a dedicated mqa dac for less. (smsl m500 for eg)
As for mconnect, who knows!
AdamFrandsen
Member
Very frustrating! MQA's official website has it listed under supported streamers, shouldn't it theoretically support MQA as long as you use its analog outputs? Damn frustrating that this info isn't more clear...
So..
I reluctantly pulled one of these out again to test, my first experience with this unit left me very disappointed.
Well, this time things were different? Very different in fact! I found myself muttering in administration on at least a dozen occasions while flawlessly streaming FLAC and fully unfolded MQA files direct to my Gustard A22U MQA DAC over USB via BubbleUPNPs tidal intergration.
I tested other outputs from DP5 with AES and USB sounding the best but USB being the only option for outputting MQA to external DAC. I tried using a Gustard U16 with USB in and I2s out, but MQA would not work. I also discovered that I could only get the i2s direct from DP5 to work with m400, it would not work with several other DACs that I tried it with 'Matrix Saber X pro, Topping D90 Gustard A26 Pro and A22).
Listening Test: To my ears and in my system the DP5 sounded fantastic, 'as good, if not better' than USB direct from my windows laptop via Audirvana or tidal app (although likely due to improved / cleaner signal ground from DP5).
Without any supporting measurements I can only recommend based on listening tests, but this unit has been great over past two weeks and if you are looking for a relatively cheap (in comparison to many alternatives) and easy tidal streaming solution that outputs MQA over USB to an external DAC this is definitely a premium option; when used with BubbleUPNP via its new and improved tidal intergration.
All the issues I had with this unit are no more, it has been working flawlessly!
"I wonder if anyone else has had success with one of these units"?
I reluctantly pulled one of these out again to test, my first experience with this unit left me very disappointed.
Well, this time things were different? Very different in fact! I found myself muttering in administration on at least a dozen occasions while flawlessly streaming FLAC and fully unfolded MQA files direct to my Gustard A22U MQA DAC over USB via BubbleUPNPs tidal intergration.
I tested other outputs from DP5 with AES and USB sounding the best but USB being the only option for outputting MQA to external DAC. I tried using a Gustard U16 with USB in and I2s out, but MQA would not work. I also discovered that I could only get the i2s direct from DP5 to work with m400, it would not work with several other DACs that I tried it with 'Matrix Saber X pro, Topping D90 Gustard A26 Pro and A22).
Listening Test: To my ears and in my system the DP5 sounded fantastic, 'as good, if not better' than USB direct from my windows laptop via Audirvana or tidal app (although likely due to improved / cleaner signal ground from DP5).
Without any supporting measurements I can only recommend based on listening tests, but this unit has been great over past two weeks and if you are looking for a relatively cheap (in comparison to many alternatives) and easy tidal streaming solution that outputs MQA over USB to an external DAC this is definitely a premium option; when used with BubbleUPNP via its new and improved tidal intergration.
All the issues I had with this unit are no more, it has been working flawlessly!
"I wonder if anyone else has had success with one of these units"?
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Try to open the dp5 to the maximum volume, that can used the MQA output to other DAC.
And used the smartphone to connect with DP5: https://www.smsl-audio.com/portal/news/detail/id/738.html
Thanks for your input Mandy.
Would you be able to comment on the proposed update for the DP5 would be perfect if it could identify streaming track and display MQA on its screen
@SMSL-Mandy
So seems you’ve been sitting back watching as the conversations unfold. Sweet!
So, being your hear your help and a rep.... Directly for SMSL... (least this is what I see) when is it you’ll be coming with a proper working firmware for products purchased and not working as should? More so this product! The DP-9
Is there any plan to check these areas, and maybe fix the implementation of them?
More then one have had issues across the boards... things not being active without a ton of work and settings, poor instructions for connections.. again... Seems the hardware could be promising!!
But with the lack of software and support from SMSL, how and why should we support it?
So, not only this group, but In other forums as well you’ll see a large amount of people not wanting to purchase, use or try!! More so after reading so many folks failed attempt to get things works as they should, as intended by the manufacture!?
What of these folks supporting SMSL products!? Are we left in the dust with a bit of good hardware and poor software/firmware?
Very thankful for these reviews.. it’s a bit scary as well to see these units being sold now for 150.-200 dollars. My guess, it’s at EOL when it was boxed up in the factory.
Maybe a mistake an now back-paddle?
To be clear, I do love SMSL! I’ve spent a bit of time and money to these products... I’m happy to support.. Long as the consumers will be supported and not forgotten about.
I feel one of the most single distaste-less things large company’s do, put out a broken product.. then hose you with zero support. It’s like take my money, please! Let’s burn it together!! Then you can smack me in the face. Lol. Nobody wants that.
Besides the fact folks feel the volume knob is cheep, the OLED screen is small, getting past the little gripes about the form factor.. the main most important bit is the hardware to function. Hence the headless and armless panther. Honestly, seeing that from here was very upsetting! But, no offense... I’m going to trust in the findings and measurements here!! Real world testing! Not factory Black and white, to which has failed many of us!
So, what is the future of the DP-9? Is it at EOL? Will a MKii version be coming about? Sadly that will screw over all the current customers, my guess is those that have bought it the first round, won’t be waiting and re-purchase on the MKii. Not unless it’s leaps and bounds different.
Sorry for my rant! It’s just upsetting. Would LOVE to see better firmware for this unit.
I apologize for anyone’s time I took to read this. I just spent an hour reading all 12 pages.. not much hope.
So seems you’ve been sitting back watching as the conversations unfold. Sweet!
So, being your hear your help and a rep.... Directly for SMSL... (least this is what I see) when is it you’ll be coming with a proper working firmware for products purchased and not working as should? More so this product! The DP-9
Is there any plan to check these areas, and maybe fix the implementation of them?
More then one have had issues across the boards... things not being active without a ton of work and settings, poor instructions for connections.. again... Seems the hardware could be promising!!
But with the lack of software and support from SMSL, how and why should we support it?
So, not only this group, but In other forums as well you’ll see a large amount of people not wanting to purchase, use or try!! More so after reading so many folks failed attempt to get things works as they should, as intended by the manufacture!?
What of these folks supporting SMSL products!? Are we left in the dust with a bit of good hardware and poor software/firmware?
Very thankful for these reviews.. it’s a bit scary as well to see these units being sold now for 150.-200 dollars. My guess, it’s at EOL when it was boxed up in the factory.
Maybe a mistake an now back-paddle?
To be clear, I do love SMSL! I’ve spent a bit of time and money to these products... I’m happy to support.. Long as the consumers will be supported and not forgotten about.
I feel one of the most single distaste-less things large company’s do, put out a broken product.. then hose you with zero support. It’s like take my money, please! Let’s burn it together!! Then you can smack me in the face. Lol. Nobody wants that.
Besides the fact folks feel the volume knob is cheep, the OLED screen is small, getting past the little gripes about the form factor.. the main most important bit is the hardware to function. Hence the headless and armless panther. Honestly, seeing that from here was very upsetting! But, no offense... I’m going to trust in the findings and measurements here!! Real world testing! Not factory Black and white, to which has failed many of us!
So, what is the future of the DP-9? Is it at EOL? Will a MKii version be coming about? Sadly that will screw over all the current customers, my guess is those that have bought it the first round, won’t be waiting and re-purchase on the MKii. Not unless it’s leaps and bounds different.
Sorry for my rant! It’s just upsetting. Would LOVE to see better firmware for this unit.
I apologize for anyone’s time I took to read this. I just spent an hour reading all 12 pages.. not much hope.
I reached out to Kelly @ SMSL and Tim @ Holo Audio but not sure I'll get an answer....
I have the Holo Audio Spring 1 KTE dac and want to utilize it's I2S input for a streamer. The most affordable streamer I've found with an I2S output is the SMSL SD-9:
https://apos.audio/collections/brand-spotlight-smsl/products/smsl-sd-9-hifi-network-music-player
What I've been told is there is no global standard for I2S pins and found the following:
"It's not blatantly simple, and there is nothing even approaching a standard. The most common pinout using an HDMI connector is the one established by PS audio. Basically, every product that provides i2s out does so in its own way, and uses connections that were not designed for this purpose.... though thankfully the Holo audio uses the PS Audio pinout, which is the most common."
Any ideas if the SD-9 I2S follows the PS audio pinout standard or would they use something else?
I have the Holo Audio Spring 1 KTE dac and want to utilize it's I2S input for a streamer. The most affordable streamer I've found with an I2S output is the SMSL SD-9:
https://apos.audio/collections/brand-spotlight-smsl/products/smsl-sd-9-hifi-network-music-player
What I've been told is there is no global standard for I2S pins and found the following:
"It's not blatantly simple, and there is nothing even approaching a standard. The most common pinout using an HDMI connector is the one established by PS audio. Basically, every product that provides i2s out does so in its own way, and uses connections that were not designed for this purpose.... though thankfully the Holo audio uses the PS Audio pinout, which is the most common."
Any ideas if the SD-9 I2S follows the PS audio pinout standard or would they use something else?
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